Wolf Moon

by A. D. Ryan

  “You”—Marcus pointed a threatening finger at Zach—“keep your fucking nose out of this,” he snarled.

  Now it all made sense. Of course this would be something we could smell. Everything seemed to be about scent now. It was borderline creepy.

  Zach dropped his head out of respect, but kept talking. “Sir, I love your daughter, and I’d like to request a private meeting with you to discuss my intentions with her.”

  “Oh, I think your intentions were pretty damn clear, pup,” he snarled.

  “Marcus,” Nick spoke up softly, still not meeting his eyes. “Maybe you should hear him out.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I shook my head and looked at Nick sharply, picking up on Marcus’ rage toward him now. Maybe I was wrong to think he should try to help. “Nick, don’t.”

  This didn’t deter Nick, who took a brave step forward. “You know how we get when the full moon comes around. While I think he was absolutely stupid to do whatever he did in here—where we eat, Zach—I don’t think he can be held one hundred percent accountable for his actions.”

  Marcus considered what Nick was saying, and then surprised everyone in the room when he sighed. His tone of voice remained hard, though, and his jaw clenched. “Fine. Tomorrow afternoon. The pit. I expect both of you there so we can discuss your future together.”

  And with that, he turned and left the room. There was a mutual relief from everyone that remained, and Colby went limp in my arms, almost falling to her knees when her body softened. I held her up and led her to one of the stools while Miranda worked to clean the food off the floor.

  “I hope everyone plans to hunt tonight. We just lost a good portion of our dinner.”

  With the situation diffused, Miranda excused us all. Nick and I went back to our room while Vince took Zach outside to burn off some adrenaline, and Layla helped with kitchen duty.

  I stripped out of my torn shirt and pulled a slim-fitted green sweater on. Nick lay back on our bed, watching me as I redressed and pulled my hair out of the V-neckline. “I love that color on you. It does wonders for your eyes.”

  Smiling, I hopped onto the bed next to him. “So, that was intense, huh?”

  “It was stupid is what it was. We all knew that they were getting closer, but to do something like that out in the open? They were asking to get caught.”

  “I don’t know. I think teenagers get so caught up in the moment…” I paused, remembering when Nick and I got caught—again, not in my parents’ kitchen.

  I was almost eighteen, Nick was newly twenty, and we were in my room while my parents were out for the night. I hadn’t realized they’d come home three hours early, and they both walked in to see if I was home or if I’d gone out. They got more than an eyeful of Nick’s ass. Thankfully his position between my thighs shielded my body from them…not that it was really any comfort. They still knew exactly what we’d been doing, and I was still horrified. It took Nick and me almost a year to be able to look them both in the eye again. Especially whenever we were all together.

  Nick must have been remembering the same thing, because he chuckled out of nowhere. “Do you remember when—?”

  “I was just thinking about that,” I interrupted with a laugh. “God, my poor parents.”

  “Your parents? I’m still emotionally scarred from that night.”

  I narrowed my eyes playfully. “Are you, though? You seem to be getting along just fine.”

  Nick met my challenging expression with an arched eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say that. I still had trouble following through tonight.”

  “Not your fault,” I offered up, scooting a little closer. I peered over his shoulder to see it was nearly three and frowned. “Not much time before dinner to pick up where we left off, now.”

  Nick must have seen this as a challenge, because he pushed me onto my back and eased himself between my thighs. I shuddered when he wedged himself a little closer, the heat of his body comingling with my own. “I only need a few minutes,” he told me roughly, and all I could do was giggle.

  “How is it you know exactly what a girl wants to hear?” I teased, pushing on his chest and using the strength in my legs to roll us over until I straddled him. His hands fell to my hips and pulled me against him. Even through our jeans, I could tell he wouldn’t need much preparation. Unfortunately, I wanted it to be more than a five-minute quickie—not that I was opposed to them; sometimes they were exactly what a girl needed.

  Hoping to appeal to his rational side, I leaned forward and kissed him softly before moving my lips to his ear, pulling the lobe between my teeth briefly. “When you take me again, Nick, I want you to make me forget my name. A few minutes won’t accomplish that.”

  Nick groaned, his fingertips digging into my hips almost painfully. “Challenge accepted.”

  I placed my left hand on his chest again and started to push myself up when fire exploded in my shoulder and seared my nerves all the way down to the tips of my fingers. I hissed, pulling my hand to my chest and clutching it.

  Concerned, Nick sat up. “What is it?” he asked, his hand moving up my left arm until it found the source of the pain. Recognition flashed in his eyes, and he looked at me sympathetically.

  “You’ll feel it at the source of the bite for the first little while. Does it burn?” I nodded brokenly, unable to see clearly past anything but the blistering pain. “The pain will lessen over time, I promise, baby.”

  Carefully, Nick pulled the neck of my sweater down my shoulder and leaned forward, pressing his lips to my scars. His lips felt cool against my burning skin, but not cool enough. “Realize it’s normal and it’ll lessen,” he whispered against my skin. “The heat signals the change—lets you know it’s almost time. Accept it.”

  “I can’t,” I whimpered. “It feels like my arm is on fire.”

  “I know,” he said softly, raising his right hand and holding out his arm. “Look.” I opened my eyes and glanced down at his arm between us. I saw a very distinctive wolf bite on his forearm. “Feel it.”

  With my right hand, I traced the scars with my fingers. He was right; they were hot to the touch, but he seemed to be managing the pain. “It’s normal. It’s just the wolf wanting to come out. Let her out—well, not right now. I’d prefer to not be under you when that happens.” He winked, and I let the pain slip from my mind momentarily as I laughed. “Don’t suppress her, baby. Tell her she can come out and play soon.”

  I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, trying to accept the heat that continued to pulse through my veins. It took some time, but eventually I was able to get it down to a warm throb.

  “There you go,” Nick said proudly, cradling my face and kissing me. “How about we go grab a bite to eat with the others before we head out to play?”

  Chapter 14 | prey

  “You want me to strip?” I asked, standing in a foot of snow and hidden by a copse of trees to the left of the pool. “Out here. In the cold.”

  Nick chuckled. “Well, you could strip in the house, but then you’d be walking longer out here in the elements in your birthday suit. I wouldn’t want you to get frostbite, babe.”

  I hugged my arms around myself, trying to keep my body heat in my new winter jacket. I could feel the tension building in my muscles, and when I looked out at the horizon, I found the sun was barely peeking over the edge.

  “What if the change takes too long? I’m going to freeze my ass off.”

  “It shouldn’t. It should start any minute, actually. Which is why you should take your clothes off before they get destroyed.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at Nick. “You just want to get me naked again.”

  Nick laughed. “Baby, if I wanted to get you naked for anything but the change, I wouldn’t do it out here in the dead of winter.”

  That was when the first bone in my back shifted. I cried out, leaning into the pain, and immediately started to undress. I tossed my things at Nick as bone after bone cracked and realigned in its new position. I
was forced to my knees as the fever raged through my body again, starting at my shoulder and emanating outward until it consumed me.

  Nick stayed with me, talking me through the changes while reminding me to breathe. It helped a little as I knelt in the snow, naked. The cold was no longer a concern as it melted around my feverish skin, and I opened my eyes, watching as my fingers elongated then retracted. I clenched my teeth, trying to keep my cries to a minimum as my entire body changed shape.

  I closed my eyes again, losing track of time and trying to focus on staying lucid through this. I didn’t want to black out again. I was trying to accept this part of me, even if it still made me feel nervous and skittish. It was hard, because accepting it all meant accepting the pain, and I wanted to distance myself from the agony as much as possible.

  When the pain stopped, I opened my eyes, breathing heavily. My vision was sharper, yet different than usual. Nick was there, smiling widely, and I stood up, tripping over my feet, still not used to my extra, and quite gangly, limbs. When I looked down, I saw fur-covered paws sinking into the snow. I jumped to the side excitedly, my tail wagging and tongue falling out the side of my mouth.

  Nick laughed and started to undress himself. “Give me a few minutes, and we’ll go hunt, okay?”

  I sat down in the snow, despite its cool temperature and watched Nick crouch down and begin to force his own change. It seemed so effortless for him, and I craved the ease in which he shifted. I hoped I would one day be able to master that.

  When he was finished, he stood up and shook. His sandy-brown coat glistened in the moonlight as he approached me slowly, carefully. His tail moved from side to side, his eyes bright and playful as he stopped a few feet away from me, waiting for me to make the next move. I did, excitedly, as I bounded through the cold snow.

  He nuzzled my neck, licking my left shoulder where I’d been bitten originally, and then I circled him, sniffing and nudging him with my snout.

  Without warning, three other wolves came bounding toward us. One I recognized as Jackson, both from scent and his appearance, and the other two were Corbin and a dark wolf I didn’t recognize until I stepped slowly toward her and smelled her. Colby. She opened her mouth in what looked like the wolf equivalent of a smile, letting her tongue hang as her breath created a dense fog.

  This was the first time I’d seen the others like this, and I suddenly realized just how similar in coloring Nick and Jackson were. Nick was a bit bigger, but, if I wasn’t paying attention to their unique scents or the slight variation in their eye color, I could see how it might be easy to confuse the two of them.

  They all watched me for a minute, which made me a bit nervous. I wasn’t sure what to do, and since none of them were moving, I stuck my nose in the snow and started sniffing. There was something there that I could pick up, traces of something other than dirt and the crisp smell of snow. Something that appealed to me and made my stomach growl.

  Another three wolves showed up—Layla, Vince, and Zach—and we all got acquainted like this. I was still getting used to being in this form, but so far everything seemed to be going okay. I continued to explore my surroundings while the others watched on, but when Nick approached me, nudging my shoulder to get my attention, I looked up to see two more wolves walking toward us. It only took me a second to recognize the raven colored wolf and the chestnut one by his side as our Alpha and his wife.

  Marcus walked with his ears forward, head held high, and tail upright. Miranda moved much in the same way, just a step behind him. My tail continued to wag behind me, but when I noticed the others all drop their heads, relax their ears and let their tails fall behind them, I followed suit.

  This was how they showed respect to their Alpha. They couldn’t show any signs of dominance or he might see it as a challenge.

  There were ten of us now. I wasn’t sure if we were expecting the other two or not before we went running, but I was definitely feeling the urge to get out there. It wasn’t long before they showed up, answering my silent query. Karl was still massive—bigger than Marcus even in this form—and his fur was pitch black and glossy in the light of the moon. His eyes found me immediately, and my ears flattened against my head, lips curling back in a snarl as he made his way toward me. He made a move to sniff me before Nick stepped forward, head high, eyes narrowed, and teeth snapping. Karl only snorted his annoyance.

  Roxanne was to Karl’s left, her brown coat not matching her phony auburn hair in the slightest. I suppose this was the werewolf equivalent of the carpet not matching the drapes. My guess was that Marcus ordered the entire pack to shift tonight. Perhaps as some kind of welcome for me.

  Marcus’ sharp growl pulled my attention to Colby as she tried to move next to Zach. A wise pup who’d learned his lesson earlier, he took a few steps away from her, but his eyes pleaded for her forgiveness.

  Once he was happy with the space between them, Marcus stepped ahead of his Pack, glancing back to ensure everyone was falling in behind him. We did. I made sure to stay near Nick, and I was just about to nudge him when Marcus took off running, the rest of the Pack chasing after him. It only took me a second to move my feet, and I caught up in a few long strides, falling in step with Nick again. I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but I had to admit that this was exhilarating.

  I’d run with Nick before—albeit, not for long before a vampire had tried to lure me into a trap—but this was different. I remembered Nick telling me back then how amazing this would feel. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the crisp mountain air, and pushed myself a little faster. I never outran Marcus, but Nick and I were continually competing for the lead.

  Suddenly, Marcus barked, and the Pack stopped with him. His eyes were on something off in the distance, down by the frozen lake that was near our property. There, foraging beneath the snow, was a huge moose. We were going to hunt… Excitement gripped me. We were going to hunt.

  I moved from paw to paw in an excited dance as adrenaline coursed through my veins. The tempo of my heart increased, and my nerves were electrified, twitching and sparking to life. Everyone seemed to have a specific position when it came to taking down their prey, but this would be my first. I had no idea what I was doing or how to do it. Ask me to take down a man twice my size in human form, I could do it. But this? I was insecure—which was something I wasn’t accustomed to.

  The minute Marcus took off, the Pack split up into two groups. I stuck by Nick’s side, and with us was Roxanne, Zach, Vince, and Layla. The others went the other way. They all operated like a well-oiled machine, and I tried to keep up as they came upon the moose. The moose noticed Marcus’ group first while Nick’s unit came up on his flank. I watched and tried to learn from what everyone was doing.

  Nick leapt first, but the moose must have sensed this and kicked out, mid-stride. Nick caught a hoof to the ribs, and I heard a crack before he slid through the snow and stopped four feet behind the rest of us. I stopped while the others kept going, concerned for Nick. When he noticed, he stood up and barked at me, almost as if to tell me to get back in there.

  I wasn’t in any hurry, though. In fact, I was downright terrified.

  But I did it anyway. I ran forward as Nick shook off his beating and chased after us. He wasn’t moving as fluidly given the probability of his broken ribs, but he pushed through it. The moose was running now with twelve wolves nipping at his heels. His fear and sweat flowed off him, pushing me through my insecurities, and I could only imagine the others used this to their advantage as well. I found I thrived on these things and they enhanced my performance. I likened it to wolves using steroids.

  My adrenaline unexpectedly kicked in the second I saw an opening between Vince and Layla, and I slipped in, my eyes locked on the moose’s front leg nearest me. If I could grab onto it, I could set him off balance and the others could go in for the kill. With a growl of determination, I made my move, but just as I reached out for the leg I’d been so focused on, I caught my right front leg on something and
it set me off balance.

  With a yelp, I stumbled, falling under the moose. His hind legs caught on me, tripping him up, and we rolled together for a bit before sliding to a stop. I couldn’t breathe, and my entire body felt like it was being compressed. When I opened my eyes, I noticed the moose was on top of me, and I panicked, crying out and whining. I pawed at the snow while the moose kicked and flailed, trying to get to its feet. The sounds of panic the moose made drowned me out, and when I looked up, I saw the Pack was surrounding him, their lips pulled back and teeth bared as they descended upon him. Marcus was the one to make the kill, and once the moose stopped flailing as much, he and Jackson pulled the gigantic animal off of me.

  I immediately leapt to my feet, my right leg throbbing a little. It felt like a sprain, so it would be okay, but it hurt to put any pressure on it. I sat down and licked it for a second, only leaving it alone when Nick came over to me and nudged my shoulder. I glanced up at him before he dropped his snout to my injury. His care for my well-being was obvious and reminded me that he was still nursing a broken rib or two. I tried to nuzzle him near his ribs, but he shied away, growling a warning not to touch. I didn’t take it personally. How could I? I wouldn’t want anyone touching a broken bone in my body either.

  I stood up, and Nick ran his head along mine, similar to a hug, I supposed. The moose had been dead a few minutes now, the snow around it red with the blood from the torn artery in his neck. Marcus had everyone sitting around it patiently until Nick and I rejoined the group. We were positioned much like we were at the dinner table, with Marcus and Miranda at the head and foot, and the rest of us in our usual “seats.”

  Unlike the dinner table, though, Marcus and Miranda ate first. This was a Pack tradition. They got first fill of the hunt. When they’d been satiated, Marcus allowed the rest of us to eat. What caught me off guard was when Roxanne got up to eat and Marcus snapped at her. She whimpered, but he didn’t back down until she was sitting again, watching scornfully as we all dug in.